Fast Beers

Ok, so probably just about everyone has decided to brew for some kind of occasion, at one time or another, and found themselves with less than an ideal amount of time for conditioning, etc. I think I even remember reading a BYO article about this before.

So what is your favorite recipe for a fast beer?
One that you can have ready to drink in a month or less...
That is not to say that it might not be even better with again, but it will be drinkable in a month or less.

I havent tried it yet but will be soon:

BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde

Low gravity beers (under 1.045) such as an English Bitter or a Wheat beer can get done pretty fast.

I just did a brown ale in about two weeks, and it was definitely drinkable, but I will be the first to admit that the last of it that I am pulling from the keg with dinner these last few nights, is even better than it was when we first tapped the keg.

Hefe... Not gonna say how fast I bottled, but when it was done it got bottled. Ended up not saving too much time though, still took 4 weeks in the bottle to taste good.

SuperiorBrew said:

I havent tried it yet but will be soon:

BierMuncher's Centennial Blonde

Click to expand...

Nice recipe, I am going to have to try that one, it sounds great.

EdWort's Haus Pale Ale is a pretty quick one. Kegged after about 10 days, force carbed the next day and started drinking right away. Like any beer, it's better to give it some conditioning time, but it was definitely tasty immediately, and cleared up more within about a week as EdWort indicates - but even waiting for that puts it below the 3-week mark.

Of course, if you're bottling it's a little different, but I think you could still have it done in under a month.

I agree with Bender though, most anything rather low-gravity can be done quick.

Ryanh1801 said:

Hefe... Not gonna say how fast I bottled, but when it was done it got bottled. Ended up not saving too much time though, still took 4 weeks in the bottle to taste good.

Click to expand...

Have to agree on this. Most Hefe's are great young... especially if you like some of the other flavors that are more pronounced when they're young (like banana). I'm also talking about going straight into a keg and not bottle conditioning.

Funkenjaeger said:

EdWort's Haus Pale Ale is a pretty quick one. Kegged after about 10 days, force carbed the next day and started drinking right away. Like any beer, it's better to give it some conditioning time, but it was definitely tasty immediately, and cleared up more within about a week as EdWort indicates - but even waiting for that puts it below the 3-week mark.

Of course, if you're bottling it's a little different, but I think you could still have it done in under a month.

I agree with Bender though, most anything rather low-gravity can be done quick.

Click to expand...

That is another one I had been meaning to try.

I will be bottling, but I can force carb in a corny, and then counter-pressure fill, so that won't be a problem with the timing.

I am asking about "fast beers" as I am going to be in two weddings in the next three months, and have a ton of brewing to do, between bachelor parties and wedding receptions, and nothing is going to get as much aging time as I might like it to, so I need to find recipes that will be good when they are young, and not taste green.

I would try a fairly simple mild something like a Newcastle clone (or some southern British mild). They're meant to be drunk young, have a simple grain bill & hop schedule and have a very universal appeal.

Milds, 60/-, and hefe/dunkelweizens are great for quick beers. They also tend to be popular enough for mass consumption and unusual enough for the "ah" homebrewing factor.


TL

Yeah, I have a dunkleweizen in the basement right now. I tossed the secondary into the beer fridge for about a day or so, and it has cleared up nicely. I can't wait to get it into a keg and carb it so that I can taste it.

My last dunkel wizen is all bottle conditioned and carbed up now, made it 4 weeks ago. At bottling time it had this yummy raisin flavor I wasn't expecting but now that it's conditioned for 3 weeks, that flavor is gone.

I'm also making another one slightly modified saturday night, only have 30 bottles left, trying to beat my thirst with chrstmas looming and all

Hefe and smaller IPAs brewed on the colder side are great young! (IMHO, YMMV and all that)

My first batch was an American Amber extract kit. I bottled after 6 days, cracked the first one on day 10. Needed more carbonation, but tasted great. I think that all but 6 were gone within 30 days of brewing. It was one of the best beers I ever made. I recently had one of the remaining 6 after well over a year of aging, and it did improve with the year of aging.

I usually do 10 gallon batches, and the first half is in the keg within 2 or 3 weeks of brewing. I don't notice too much improvement with the extra month that the second half sits in the secondary.

Honestly you could do an extract English Pale, "beer in a box" I call it.

Nine days in primary, rack cleanly into the bottling bucket, prime with dextrose, bottle, condition 14 days. It will be much better later, but not bad on day 23 and better on day 30.

If you can force carb you could do 7 days in primary, 14 days in secondary, then 7 days kegged under 10psi...I would rather drink that than BMC and quite a few micros.

Jamil would do 21 days in primary then 7 under 10psi and it would probably be really good. I am leaving my brews on the yeast longer and longer the more I listen to him.

I bottled a dark mild that was great at about a month. Ofcourse it was under 3% ABV with a low attenuation. The hardest part with bottling is getting a consistent carbonation after only 1 or 2 weeks in the bottle. I think I could have been drinking the mild after 14 days if I was kegging. Not that it would improve for another few weeks but it would have been decent beer.
Craig

my fastest was also my first --- here ya go

8.2 lbs of Light Malt Extract
1 lbs Crystal Malt Grain (medium i think)
2oz. Czech Saaz Hops (pellets)
Nottingham Yeast

Yeast Preperation:
1/2 gallon wort (very watered down - 1/3 cup of malt extract) 1 packet Yeast. Pitched the yeast at 70 degree's in a milk jug left at room temperature for 24 hours. Nice half inch yeast cake on the bottom. Smelled malty and sweet.

Main Wort:
220 degree boil for 1:15 - added malt extract as soon as it started boiling and started timer. 15 minutes in took some of the wort and added to the grains (in grain bag) temp after adding grains was 180. Steeped for 30 minutes ending temp was 160. Removed grains and added to main wort. Removed from heat at 1 hour.

Hops:
60 minutes 1oz Saaz hops
45 minutes 1/2 oz Saaz hops
15 minutes 1/2 oz Saaz hops


OG = 1.062

4 days in primary

FG = 1.020


bottle condition 2 weeks

conclusion: very drinkable --- should have left in primary for 10 days and racked to a secondary for another 5 before bottling --- the longer it was in the bottle the better it tasted (almost lager-like)

I made a nice American Ale with amarillo last Friday. SG 1.046, I checked gravity last night and it was 1.010. Tasted pretty darn good, even the OL said thats gonna be real nice in a couple of days. I will crash cool it starting next tuesday evening, keg it up and force carb it on thursday and bring it to work for the boys on friday. I always cook breakfast for the guys here at work on the day before Christmas shutdown so I think they will enjoy a little homebrew and apfelwien with their omletts.
AP

APendejo said:

I made a nice American Ale with amarillo last Friday. SG 1.046, I checked gravity last night and it was 1.010. Tasted pretty darn good, even the OL said thats gonna be real nice in a couple of days. I will crash cool it starting next tuesday evening, keg it up and force carb it on thursday and bring it to work for the boys on friday. I always cook breakfast for the guys here at work on the day before Christmas shutdown so I think they will enjoy a little homebrew and apfelwien with their omletts.
AP

Click to expand...

man, looks like i have been looking for a job in the wrong place.

I've given up on the "fast Beer" thing, it's never as good as I want it. I just make sure to always have at least one extra corny full of yummy goodness...

I did Jamil's Pale Mild Ale recipe, and it was fantastic at 3 weeks (kegged). The trick is to oxygenate REALLY well, and pitch plenty of healthy yeast at the optimal temperature if you want it to mature quickly. So it is absolutely necessary to do a starter or rehydrate that dry yeast.

I was a disbeliever that one could make great beer in a few weeks, but honestly this beer was best at 3 - 4 weeks of age.

Brewing Clamper said:

I've given up on the "fast Beer" thing, it's never as good as I want it. I just make sure to always have at least one extra corny full of yummy goodness...

Click to expand...

You missed the whole point. I am asking about those times when things are less than ideal, and you DON'T have enough around for a last minute occasion that comes up.

You know, like when a buddy calls you up on Monday and says
"Dude, we are having a (insert occasion) party on Saturday for (insert name here), can you come? and can you bring some of your awesome homebrew?"

My wife is one of 11 kids, 5 girls, 6 boys. 5 of the guys live around here, and 4 of the girls. All are married except one. So just when the guys in the family get together, that is 8 people right there. Most of the women will drink beer to one degree or another. I also have 4 goddaughters and one godson, and more nieces and nephews than you can imagine. My point with all of this??? There is ALWAYS something that comes up that is a good reason to take some homebrew, but you don't find out about it until a few weeks or so before the event. In some cases, just a week.

rabidgerbil said:

You missed the whole point. I am asking about those times when things are less than ideal, and you DON'T have enough around for a last minute occasion that comes up.

You know, like when a buddy calls you up on Monday and says
"Dude, we are having a (insert occasion) party on Saturday for (insert name here), can you come? and can you bring some of your awesome homebrew?"

My wife is one of 11 kids, 5 girls, 6 boys. 5 of the guys live around here, and 4 of the girls. All are married except one. So just when the guys in the family get together, that is 8 people right there. Most of the women will drink beer to one degree or another. I also have 4 goddaughters and one godson, and more nieces and nephews than you can imagine. My point with all of this??? There is ALWAYS something that comes up that is a good reason to take some homebrew, but you don't find out about it until a few weeks or so before the event. In some cases, just a week.

Click to expand...

Looks like your real problem isn't demand...it's supply...get more kegging/bottling equipment to stay ahead of the game...

rabidgerbil said:

You missed the whole point.

Click to expand...

My bad, I do that a lot. What I meant to say was that I keep a full corny on backup for just those occasions, and that I don't like to rush a beer. Just my $.02 or .0139€.

homebrewer_99 said:

Looks like your real problem isn't demand...it's supply...get more kegging/bottling equipment to stay ahead of the game...

Click to expand...

be glad my wife can't find you... if she ever reads that, she will kill us both.

I currently have 2 cornies, 5 primaries, 5 secondaries, and about 15 cases of bottles, between standard 12 oz (12+ cases), 22 oz (1 case), and grolsch (2+ cases). It is a good thing that the brewery is in the basement, and she does not go down there much. I know that there are guys out there that have far more than that, but at this point, I just can't handle any more gear. I am literally having to rebuild a room of the house to handle everything related to the making of beer. Until that is done, no more gear. For that reason, I am collecting recipes that are tested, that are going to taste good, but can be drinkable in a fairly short time.

It has been my understanding that many brewpubs and the like are doing some of their light ales in 10-14 days from grain to glass.
AP

What are some techniques to speed things up a bit. I'm trying to have drinkable beer by New Years eve (started Wednesday). Ferment at slightly higher temps? Slightly more priming sugar to speed bottle carbonation? leaving slightly more air gap/headspace at the top of the bottles? This is my first batch, and although I've been doing a lot of reading, I literally know just enough to be dangerous.

EDIT: I'm doing a extract and specialty grain Irish Red Ale kit recipe, OG 1.040

reshp1 said:

What are some techniques to speed things up a bit. I'm trying to have drinkable beer by New Years eve (started Wednesday). Ferment at slightly higher temps? Slightly more priming sugar to speed bottle carbonation? leaving slightly more air gap/headspace at the top of the bottles? This is my first batch, and although I've been doing a lot of reading, I literally know just enough to be dangerous.

EDIT: I'm doing a extract and specialty grain Irish Red Ale kit recipe, OG 1.040

Click to expand...

Don’t mess with fermentation temps or priming sugar quantities.

If you did your beer two days ago, you should be able to rack to a secondary in another day or so. Make sure the gravity reading is static for 2 days straight. Don’t secondary the beer for more than a few days. Rack to bottles and store the bottles at 72 degrees.

Carbonation is the time consumer here. Conditioning them at slightly warmer temps will speed things up. Also…give those cases of new beer a slight rocking every day to gently rouse the yeast up off the bottom of the bottles. That will also help a lot.

Now…the beer will likely be ready, but certainly be green and not cleared out.

Chill the crap out of them and serve in opaque mugs and enjoy.

Next time…plan ahead.

Sounds like you need to get the family to kick down some funds so you can better equip yourself and always have brew ready.

GaryA said:

Sounds like you need to get the family to kick down some funds so you can better equip yourself and always have brew ready.

Click to expand...

There is a "suggested donation" for them to leave in a jar, if they want to drop by the house and grab a sixer to take home with them. I am slowly building up cash for the conversion to all grain 10 gallon batches.

Regarding the earlier point that some breweries are doing this same thing,
here is what Pyramid has to say on the subject.

The way I read that, one week in the primary, one week in the secondary, carbonate and bottle. Being that I force carb in a corny and then either serve it up, or bottle it from there, that works for me.

Hefeweizen ready to pull off keg in 14-17 days. Stout is ready in 21 days or less.

Oh the rush of the holidays and a deployment to middle east. My Buddy and I brewed a California Pale Ale, left it in the primary for 8 days then bottled. We're going to crack the first one next weekend so he has beer for Christmas and before he deploys! I'll let you know how it turns out.

rabidgerbil said:

be glad my wife can't find you... if she ever reads that, she will kill us both.

I currently have 2 cornies, 5 primaries, 5 secondaries, and about 15 cases of bottles, between standard 12 oz (12+ cases), 22 oz (1 case), and grolsch (2+ cases). It is a good thing that the brewery is in the basement, and she does not go down there much. I know that there are guys out there that have far more than that, but at this point, I just can't handle any more gear. I am literally having to rebuild a room of the house to handle everything related to the making of beer. Until that is done, no more gear. For that reason, I am collecting recipes that are tested, that are going to taste good, but can be drinkable in a fairly short time.

Click to expand...

Ha ha, I know what you mean Brother, but my wife doesn't complain about my gear: 23 plus cases of 1/2 liter German bottles I brought back from Germany (5 of them flippies), 7 primaries, 2 bottling buckets, 22 carboys, 25 cornies, kegerator (holds 2), keezer (holds 8), etc, etc, etc... I also have my own kitchen and storage rooms in the basement, but some of the stuff (keezer/full & empty cornies) are in the garage. Incidently, I sold 97 Grolsh bottles and gave away 8 cases (192 bottles) of 12 oz last year or earlier this year.

I second the nomination for Ed worts Haus Pale ale. I just enjoyed my first glass yesterday. From fermentation to tapping the keg, little over 2 weeks. The hops are still really pronounced at this stage but its the best tasting 20 day beer I've had!

I've managed to go from pitching yeast to drinking in 9 days with a modified version of Edwort's Haus Ale. Six days in the primary, rack to secondary.. after one day at room temp, crash cool overnight, add gelatin the next morning. On day 9, rack to cornie & force carb in the AM, enjoy the first glass at kick-off.

Crash cooling and gelatin seem to clear up and smooth out the brew in short order